fortunately for the united states, the president called again and come in very difficult moment, president obama asked him to come back to national service. and being the patriot servant that he is, he did. he left the bush school and went back to a afghanistan as america's ambassador in a moment when we were beginning yet another transition. we have been very blessed this afternoon to have him come to carnegie to make this fall stop in his return from afghanistan and speak to us about what the transition in that country holds, what the prospects of success are and why afghanistan, after all is said and done, still matters to the united states. so, ladies and gentlemen, join me in extending a very warm welcome to the man president bush once called america's -- ambassador ryan crocker. [applause] >> thank you. i think. [laughter] actually notes that, before went to pakistan in 2004 as ambassador, he very generously spent much of the day with me to give me some perspectives on a part of the world with which i was not very familiar. my career had lain to the west almost exclusively in the arab worl